Boning Up on Expressions

Bone tired and soaked to the bone in sweat, Jason crawled into his truck. The long scorching summer working for his paleontology professor in the bone-dry Wyoming bone beds was at its end. Although the work-study program had good bones on paper, in reality, it failed to deliver anything more than bone-numbing tedium. Bone deep, Jason knew he had pulled a boner by accepting the puny bone that the professor had tossed him. This had come after Jason, no lazy bones, failed to receive an acceptance to grad school. No more bone-headed decisions, he told himself. Nor would he pick a bone with his professor about the lack-luster recommendation that he had written for Jason. Rather Jason, who did not have a mean bone in his body, would look to the future, bone up for the next two weeks, and retake the graduate school entrance exam. Far more than rolling the bones of chance, he felt in his bones that his goal was attainable, so he held onto it like a dog with a bone.

The pioneers’ bone yard, headstones askew, marked where the dirt road crossed the highway. Dust swallowed Jason’s truck as he pulled onto the asphalt. No bones about it, Jason did not see the oncoming semi, which with bone-crunching force hit his truck broadside and T-boned it.

A month later when Jason, slender to begin with, was finally discharged from the hospital he was hardly more than skin and bones and still had a tender funny bone. The urologist told him that it would be months before he could expect to have a boner again.

For several reasons, graduate school for now was out of the question. The dean had cut the paleontology department’s budget to the bone, and his message struck the faculty close-to-the-bone because several of them would be dismissed, which, of course, raised big bones of contention among the least secure. Although far from boneless, some of those at risk, rather than continuing to jawbone in protest, joined Jason in looking elsewhere for jobs, even freelance gigs writing contrived stories containing bone expressions.

Hi Sandra,
You mention bona fide (some dictionaries say bonafide). Either way, this means good faith in Latin, nothing particular to do with bones. Also bon mot, bonbon, and trombone, bourbon, carbon–not derived from the word bone, however, bonfire is derived from the word bone–originally it was bone fire. Thanks for reading the blog. Spread the word. Much for all of us to learn. Best wishes, Roy

Hi Susan,
Yep, I have an author gene lurking inside. In addition to having written several scholarly (I hope) academic works, I have written two books where I allowed my quirky sense of humor to sneak in. The first was One Hundred Orthopedic Conditions Every Doctor Should Understand, which teaches principles and facts with the use of short stories and fictional characters who possess a wide spectrum of human strengths and weaknesses. Some characters show up in multiple chapters, sometimes hundreds of pages later. Hmmm… Jean Valjean? The review in JAMA described my writing style as a cross between O Henry and Dr. Seuss. From my perspective, the reviewer hit the nail on the head.
The second was The Hand Owner’s Manual, A Hand Surgeon’s Thirty Year Collection of Important Information and Fascinating Facts.
Both books are on Amazon and have 5 star reviews. You can “Look Inside” The Hand Owner’s Manual to get a taste.
It is my intention to turn the About Bone blog posts plus much more into a book sometime, put presently it is easier to write a blog post every two weeks rather than it is to write a book.
Overall, learning should be fun. I am trying to do my part, at least for me, and if anybody wants to join in, great!! Please help spread the word. Bone and bones are fascinating.
Best wishes, Roy

Thanks, Terry. Yep, bone names seem pretty arcane now, because most of us are weak in Latin, which was the language of science when systematic dissections first took place and names for all the parts were needed. Best wishes, Roy